Makeuseof

Makeuseof

Type	Private
Founded	July 2006
Founder	Aibek Esengulov
Headquarters	Colchester, United Kingdom
Key people	Aibek Esengulov, Editor-In-Chief Kaly Mochoev, Directory Editor Mark O'Neill, Managing Editor Jackson Chung, Associate Editor
Employees	19
Slogan	"Cool Websites, Software & Internet Tips"
Website	www.makeuseof.com
Alexa rank	1484[1]
Type of site	blog

MakeUseOf is a British-based technology & internet apps blog founded by Aibek Esengulov and Kaly Mochoev. The website's primary focus is software, web applications, and useful technology tips, but they have also recently started covering news and gadgets as well. MakeUseOf was launched in July 2006 and now employs 19 members of staff from various parts of the world.

The site publishes, on average, 10 posts a day from Monday to Friday, with a reduced schedule at weekends. Topics range from Windows to Linux to Mac OS X and many posts contain tips and hacks on how to improve your computing experience. The main blog is backed up by the Directory^[2], as well as its newest feature, MakeUseOf Answers^[3], a Yahoo Answers-type of page for unanswered technology questions.

With 7 million monthly pageviews, over 420,000 subscribers (as of August 2011) and 9,500 articles later, MakeUseOf is rapidly gaining a strong subscriber base and a positive reputation in the area of web apps and software recommendations, with staff being quoted in publications such as the Washington Post^[4].

MakeUseOf also puts a lot of work into developing a presence on social networks. As of August 2011, it has over 24,500 Twitter followers and over 136,500 fans on Facebook. They have also released free smartphone applications for the iPhone^[5] and the Android Operating System (available on Android Market), as well as publishing free PDF manuals^[6] on various tech subjects.

Background

Aibek Esengulov has stated in a couple of online interviews^[7] that the idea for MakeUseOf came about because "the biggest problem with the web was the lack of sources where users, like myself, could learn about other useful websites"^[8]. He says he read Robert Scoble's "Naked Conversations" "which kept emphasizing the growing importance of blogs and how search engine friendly they were".

In August 2007, Mark O'Neill joined MakeUseOf as the Managing Editor and began hiring other writers. In June 2009, staff writer Jackson Chung was promoted to Assistant Managing Editor. In August 2010, after three years, the site stopped accepting contributor work and moved to a permanent dedicated writing staff. Up until recently, the site never allowed people to guest post, but it does now. ^[9]

Editorial staff

Staff Member	Position
Aibek Esengulov	Editor In Chief / Co-Founder
Kaly Mochoev	Directory Editor / Co-Founder
Mark O'Neill	Managing Editor
Jackson Chung	Associate Editor
James Bruce	Technical Editor
Justin Pot	Manuals Editor
Ryan Dube	SEO Editor
Saikat Basu	Newsletter Editor
Tina Sieber	Answers Editor

Cracked site

In 2008, the MakeUseOf domain was stolen from its owners^[10] by a thief and blackmailer, who to this day has never been caught. He gained access to the domain by hacking into Aibek Esengulov's webmail account and using details that he found to impersonate Aibek Esengulov to GoDaddy. He then quickly transferred the domain to his control and demanded $2000 for its return.

MakeUseOf quickly set up a temporary website^[11] to inform its readers what was happening and began the legal process to recover the MakeUseOf.com domain. After several days, they were successful and the domain returned to their control. The cracker who stole the domain subsequently managed to evade detection.

Awards and media recommendations

PC Magazine named MakeUseOf one of the "Top 100 Undiscovered Websites" in 2007^[12]. MakeUseOf has also been named one of the "Top 100 Classic Websites" by PC Magazine on two separate years (2008^[13] and 2010^[14]).

In 2008, Fast Company named MakeUseOf as "one of the top ten websites you never heard of"^[15].

MakeUseOf has also been recommended on DL.TV^[16], Palm Breeze Cafe^[17], Diggnation^[18] and KNLS Radio's "Eye On The Web"^[19].

References

1. ^ "makeuseof.com – Traffic Details from Alexa". Alexa Internet. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/makeuseof.com. 
2. ^ "MakeUseOf Directory". MakeUseOf. http://www.makeuseof.com/dir. 
3. ^ "MakeUseOf Answers". MakeUseOf. http://www.makeuseof.com/answers. 
4. ^ Elmer, Vickie (5 September 2010). "Mobile Apps Can Give Careers, Job Searches A Boost". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/04/AR2010090401099.html. 
5. ^ "MakeUseOf iPhone App". MakeUseOf. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/makeuseof/id366921965?mt=8. 
6. ^ "MakeUseOf Manuals". MakeUseOf. http://www.makeuseof.com/pages. 
7. ^ "Aibek Esengulov of MakeUseOf Shares His Startup Story". Foundora. http://www.foundora.com/2010/10/26/aibek-esengulov-co-founder-of-makeuseof-com-shares-his-startup-story. 
8. ^ "The Major Geeks of MakeUseOf". Love To Know. http://web-design.lovetoknow.com/Interview:_The_Major_Geeks_of_MakeUseOf. 
9. ^ Guest Post on MakeUseOf.com
10. ^ "MakeUseOf.com Domain Stolen". Daily Blog Tips. http://www.dailyblogtips.com/makeuseofcom-domain-stolen. 
11. ^ "MakeUseOf Temporary Domain". MakeUseOf. http://makeuseof-temporary.blogspot.com. 
12. ^ "Top 100 Undiscovered Websites 2007". PC Magazine. http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l%253D213934%2526a%253D213919%2526po%253D82,00.asp?p=n. 
13. ^ "Top 100 Classic Websites 2008". PC Magazine. http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l%253D231195%2526a%253D231203%2526po%253D54,00.asp?p=n. 
14. ^ "Top 100 Undiscovered Websites 2010". PC Magazine. http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l%253D253515%2526a%253D253510%2526po%253D49,00.asp?p=n. 
15. ^ "Top Ten Websites You Never Heard Of". Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2008/02/the-top-10-websites-you-never-heard-of.html?page=0,1. 
16. ^ "Cool Websites". DL.TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tKaCc9xwpE. 
17. ^ "TinyPaste & MakeUseOf". Palm Breeze Cafe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrzsEAJPHk4. 
18. ^ "Diggnation On The Web". Diggnation. http://revision3.com/diggnation. 
19. ^ ""Eye On The Web"". KNLS Radio. http://www.kevincaron.com/eyeontheweb. 

External links

• Official Website